110: Jianmu!

It was an unbelievably large skeleton, standing at the bottom of the pit, like a rising mountain peak.

Each rib was like an towering tree trunk, and along the spine on its back, there grew a row of sharp bone spurs.

Its two dark, hollow eye sockets resembled two high-speed rail tunnels.

Its mouth was full of eerie, serrated fangs, sharp and pointed!

"Is that a snake skeleton?"

Li Qian's eyes widened.

Chu Jian nodded, then shook his head: "It looks like it, but it doesn't feel the same, and it's too big!"

"This length, it must be at least a thousand meters, right?"

"If it's a snake, how big would this snake have been when it was alive?"

"Are there any Titan Beasts of this size on Earth?"

"Certainly not!"

"Currently, the largest known snake on Earth is the demigod-level Titan Beast coiled in the Pacific Ocean—the Deep Sea Heaven-Swallowing Python!"

"The latest data shows that the Deep Sea Heaven-Swallowing Python's body length is only over 184 meters, which isn't even one-fifth of this skeleton, is it?"

"It's not an Earth snake, so could it be an alien life form?"

"Nonsense! How could an alien life form appear on Earth?"

"You can't say for sure!"

"In Earth's long 4.6 billion-year history, who knows how many alien life forms have visited Earth?"

"..."

Chu Jian piloted the starry sky z9, circling around the giant skeleton, which resembled a snake bone, flying in a spiral.

Everyone looked closely at the skeleton through the vehicle's windows.

After circling the skeleton once, they discovered a dark, hollow cavity in the forehead area of the skeleton.

The cavity resembled the two eye sockets, like a third eye.

"A giant snake with three eyes?" Li Qian mumbled, "Wait! There seems to be something in that hole?"

"There is something!"

"It looks like a... box?"

"Compared to a box, I think it looks more like a coffin!"

"A coffin? Nonsense! How could there be a coffin in this ghostly place?"

Zhang Fan also saw the coffin-like object; it was placed flat in the eye socket of the skeleton's third eye.

"Lao Chu, land!"

Hua Xia suddenly said.

Zhang Fan looked at Hua Xia, only to find her beautiful eyes flashing with an unusual brilliance, staring intently at the coffin-like object.

"Does Tengteng recognize this thing, or has she discovered something?"

Zhang Fan felt a bit puzzled.

Chu Jian carried out Hua Xia's Order, and the starry sky z9 landed at the bottom of the pit.

As the door opened, Hua Xia darted out immediately, flying straight towards the "coffin."

"Captain!"

"Why are you running?"

Zhang Fan and the others were bewildered but still quickly followed.

Stepping on the skeleton's nasal bone, they arrived in front of the third eye.

The eye had long disappeared, leaving only a dark, hollow cavity.

The coffin-shaped object lay flat inside the cavity.

Hua Xia stared at the coffin, slowly closed her eyes, and carefully sensed it.

Seeing this, everyone also came to the front of the coffin, carefully examining it.

In fact, there was no need to examine it; everyone had already discovered the clue.

Because this "coffin" emitted an incredibly vast life force; even standing in front of it, everyone could feel a vibrant aura.

Under the influence of this aura, their fatigue seemed to disappear, and they became full of vigor.

"What exactly is this thing?" Zhang Fan asked with a look of surprise and doubt.

"I don't know!"

Chu Jian shook his head: "But it must be an extraordinary treasure!"

"I've never seen anything with such vigorous life force in my life; even the King of Monsters is far inferior!"

Not just the King of Monsters, even the Monster Emperor couldn't compare!

Zhang Fan secretly marveled; although he had never seen a living Monster Emperor, he had seen many dead ones.

The life force emitted by those Monster Emperors simply couldn't compare to this strange "coffin"!

"This thing actually has leaves on it; could it be a tree?"

Li Qian suddenly exclaimed.

Zhang Fan looked in the direction of her voice and indeed saw many branches, and even leaves, on the surface of the coffin.

These branches were bronze-colored, but the leaves were purple, growing directly out of the coffin's surface!

"Could it really be a tree?" Zhang Fan also had some doubts.

"Could it be a divine tree?" Chu Jian's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but ask.

"It doesn't look like it!"

Li Qian rejected Chu Jian's guess: "The bark of a divine tree is dark gray-black; this is bronze-colored!"

"Moreover!"

"The leaves of a divine tree are round, with a wavy texture on the surface!"

"Look at its leaves again: they are oval, with serrated edges; there's no similarity between the two!"

"Alright!"

Chu Jian was a bit disappointed.

"Although it's not a divine tree, its value is no less than a divine tree!"

Hua Xia finally spoke, and her first sentence invigorated everyone.

"Captain, how so?"

Chu Jian quickly asked.

Zhang Fan and Li Qian both looked at Hua Xia, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"Everyone should have heard of the Jianmu, right?" Hua Xia asked in return, not answering directly.

"Jianmu?"

"I've heard of it!"

As Chinese people, they naturally knew of the great name of Jianmu.

Jianmu!

It was a mythical divine tree!

Legend says it was a bridge connecting heaven, earth, and gods; the gods all used Jianmu to travel between the heavenly realm and the human world.

But later, due to people freely traveling between the heavenly realm and the human world, the heavenly realm became overpopulated, and Order was chaotic.

Xuan Yuan Yellow Emperor's grandson—Emperor Zhuanxu—ordered heavenly soldiers to cut down Jianmu, severing the passage between heaven and humans.

This is the famous "Severing Heaven-Earth Connection" in mythology!

"Tengteng, why did you suddenly bring up Jianmu?"

Zhang Fan asked doubtfully: "Could it be... this is Jianmu?"

"That's unlikely, right?"

Li Qian said in astonishment: "Jianmu is a divine tree from myths and legends; how could this thing be Jianmu?"

"Why not?"

Hua Xia retorted: "Since the Great Cataclysm, have there been few mythical creatures appearing on Earth?"

"Dragons, phoenixes, Qilins, White Tigers, Ya Yu, Ying Yu... which one isn't a creature from myths?"

Li Qian was speechless.

Many of the existing Titan Beasts and Titan Beasts are almost exactly the same as creatures from myths and legends!

For example, Hua Xia's Azure Dragon, Chu Jian's Kui Niu, Old Ge's Three-legged Golden Crow... all are creatures from myths and legends!

With so many mythical creatures appearing, one more Jianmu would be quite normal, wouldn't it?

"The Captain's words are reasonable!"

Chu Jian strongly agreed with Hua Xia's statement, then asked: "So, Captain, is this coffin really Jianmu?"

"We'll know if we try!"

Hua Xia took out a flashlight, pressed the switch, and aimed it at the "coffin."

Seeing this, everyone was a bit confused, not knowing what Hua Xia intended to do.

Then they saw the light fall on the "coffin," passing right through it as if shining on transparent glass.

"Huh?"

Everyone was greatly surprised.

Hua Xia then reached out and tapped the coffin a few times; she used considerable force, but no sound was produced.

"What's the deal with this coffin?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Then they heard Hua Xia explain: "Legend says Jianmu has two characteristics!"

"First!"

"No matter what light passes through Jianmu, it will not cast a shadow!"

"Second!"

"No matter how Jianmu sways, it will not make any sound!"

Hua Xia stared at the "coffin": "You all saw it; this coffin perfectly matches these two characteristics!"

Chu Jian gasped: "So, it really is the legendary Jianmu?"

"Highly probable!"